1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention generally pertains to furniture and more specifically to a television stand.
2. Description of Related Art
The current trend in home entertainment centers is to emulate more closely the effects provided by big screen movie theaters. Larger and heavier televisions are becoming more common, and their sound systems are becoming more sophisticated.
Commercial movie theaters often have several speakers that project various channels of sound. Some speakers may be positioned near the front of the theater, off to the right and left side of the screen. Others, such as right and left side speakers, may be near the back of the theater to create what is known as surround-sound. Such speakers may carry different channels of background sound to create various effects, such as a distant sound coming from a particular direction or a traveling source of sound.
In addition, commercial theaters often include a center-channel speaker positioned directly behind the movie screen. The screen, then, is made of a material that allows the sound from the speaker to pass right through the screen. Center-channel speakers typically carry the dialogue, so that the voices seem to come directly from the projected image of the actors and actresses of the movie.
This same effect is more difficult to achieve at home with a television having an impermeable picture tube rather than a screen. Instead of mounting a center-channel speaker behind the tube, the speaker is usually placed directly below the television, with the two being placed as close together as possible. Unfortunately, speakers often have powerful magnets whose magnetic field, when too close to the television, may distort the image on the set. Due to the magnetic field, the center-channel speaker may need to be placed farther away from the television than what would otherwise be necessary, which diminishes the desired illusion of having the sound come directly from the picture.
Also, when a large, heavy television is placed on a shelf with the center-channel speaker beneath it, the reinforcing shelf structure needed to support the weight of the television may further limit how close the speaker and television can be placed. This is especially true when the shelf is made of wood, particleboard, or a similarly weak material, because with weaker materials more structural support is needed.
Television cabinets are also often used to store other audio and video related items, such radio receivers, amplifiers, and tape players and their tapes. Wooden cabinets with relatively low thermal conductivity may promote overheating of certain electrical components, such as power amplifiers. And recorded information on tapes may get damaged if the tape gets exposed to the magnetic field of the center-channel speaker.
In some embodiments, a television stand includes a shelf made of metal for providing strength without adding excessive bulk; as such bulk may limit how close a center-channel speaker may be placed next to a television.
In some embodiments, a television stand includes a shelf made of ferrous metal for magnetically shielding various audio/video equipment from the magnetic field of a speaker.
In some embodiments, a television stand includes a shelf made of metal to promote the dissipation of heat away from various audio/video equipment.
In some embodiments, a television stand includes a sanded metal surface protected by a clear coating to give the stand a smooth grain-like finish.
In some embodiments, a television stand is bolted together using acorn nuts that protrude upward from a shelf to help prevent a television from sliding off the shelf upon being accidentally bumped.
In some embodiments, a television stand includes numerous sheet metal parts of the same material thickness. This minimizes scrap, as the various parts can be efficiently arranged or nested among themselves prior to cutting them from a single piece of sheet metal.
In some embodiments, a television stand includes numerous sheet metal parts of the same material thickness to avoid having to adjust the settings of a sanding machine.
In some embodiments, a television stand includes side panels with numerous openings that promote natural airflow, which helps prevent audio/video components from overheating.
In some embodiments, a television stand has a hexagonal footprint with beveled back corners that allow the stand to be selectively placed alongside a flat wall or tucked into a corner of a room.
In some embodiments, a television stand includes a central support that is frictionally pressed between two shelves or between a base and an upper shelf. This renders the central support infinitely repositionable.
In some embodiments, a television stand includes a cable guard that neatly manages a number of cables, so that only a relatively narrow back panel is needed to hide the cables.
In some embodiments, a television stand includes a cable guard that not only manages a number of cables, but also serves as a protective bumper that helps protect the cables from being crushed against a wall.
In some embodiments, a television stand includes a first upper side panel spaced apart from a first lower side panel with a middle shelf interposed therebetween, so that the middle shelf is clamped solidly between the two side panels with a series of common bolts (i.e., each bolt extends through all three parts: the middle shelf and the two side panels).